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Stimulate your own local economy

The principal affliction of poor communities in the United States is not the absence of money, but its systematic exit,” says Michael Shuman in Going Local.

The principal affliction of poor communities in the United States is not the absence of money, but its systematic exit,” says Michael Shuman in Going Local.

Of all the ways being recommended to stimulate the economy, very few are directed toward the fact that, like politics, economics is local. The tried and true method for stimulating our local economies is by mutually buying and selling to one another. You have heard it all before, what has become an aphorism in the so-called Black community: “The Black dollar doesn’t circulate even one time among Black people before it leaves the Black community.” Whose fault is that, y’all?

If we would somehow turn that clichΘ into a myth, by acting upon its truth alone, we could stimulate our own economies all across this country; and we would not be sitting around waiting for the politicians, who have already proven how inept and greedy they are, to pass a stimulus package that won’t do diddlysquat for the collective empowerment of Black people.

How can we keep more of our money among ourselves? Glad you asked. Support and grow our own businesses instead of everyone else’s. Teach our young people how to create jobs through entrepreneurship rather than merely how to “get a job” that belongs to someone who couldn’t care less about their future security.

“But we need something we can do right now, Jim.” Here is something, and it is quite timely. Who is preparing your tax return? If there is a Compro Tax Service in your town, or another Black-owned tax preparation company where you live, then please go to them and get your taxes done.

For God’s sake! What could be easier? What makes more sense than this simple but empowering way to contribute to our own stimulus package? Like death, taxes are inevitable, but some of us would rather run to every Tom, Dick and Harry to use their services instead of using our own Black firms. How sad!

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